Fantastic know-how of Baranavichy authorities
Siarhei Housha
As it follows from the answer received on 6 September
2011 by Baranavichy-based human rights defender Siarhei Housha from Dz.
Kastsiukevich, Deputy Chair of the the Baranavichy City Executive Committee,
the authorities prohibited holding a picket in support of Ales Bialiatski
again.
The letter informs the human rights defender that activities on behalf of an
unregistered organization are punishable under Article 193.1 of the Criminal
Code and envisage different penalties: a fine, up to 6 months of arrest or up
to 2 years of imprisonment.
The CEC also reminds the applicants that activities of unregistered
organizations are prohibited on the territory of the Republic
of Belarus according to Article 7 of
the Law of the Republic
of Belarus On civil associations.
That’s why, conclude the officials, holding
a picket in support of Ales Bialiatski can be qualified as propaganda of
activities of an unregistered organization which contradicts to the Belarusian
legislation.
Mr. Housha considers the decision of the CEC as unlawful because he applied
for a picket not on behalf of Viasna,
but personally, in order to support a concrete person, not an organization. Moreover,
according to information of Mr. Housha, officers of the ideological department
of the CEC had telephone talks with the Main Police Department of Baranavichy
about concluding an agreement with the applicant for serving the action, and
refused to conclude such agreement after them.
